The composition is really nice, especially the main melody and the "climax" at ~ 1:13, which really caught me off guard. Seeing a proper orchestral composition in this short jam is also very unexpected, but welcome.
For me, the only lacking part is the sound itself - the instruments and the mixing is taking so much away and only leaving to imagination, how nice this could sound with better (or even real!) instruments. The solo piano part is very nice, but it falls apart with some of the other instruments.
Im in no way an expert in any of this, but the main problem is around 1:10 where the backing guitar, top guitar, keys, synth,brass and some top lead synth play all at the same time feels a bit too much. Lot of them even sonically battle for the same space (especially the brass and synth) You could try low-pass filtering some of the more backing elements to give more top-end to the more important parts..
I honestly can't tell you more. I'm going off of my limited knowledge, so take this with a grain of salt. Probably just come back to the song in a week with fresh ears and try to play with mixing, filtering, maybe some panning and see what works!
The composition and buildup is really nice. How the song opens up at ~ 3:00 is amazing. The lead sound in the section ~ 3:30 onwards is a bit too aggressive/high-pitched for my liking, and in general I find the sound-fonts here to be a little limiting. (I find both the rhythm and lead guitar lacking in quality, which is a shame, because the arrangement in those sections is nice) Balance between the instruments could be improved a little as well.
Overall, this was a very solid composition that had me listening the whole way through!
Song 1: The rhythmic "engine" between the drum and the bass is very well made. I feel like the synth part could use some work, something not quite fits there. Overall solid composition and ambiance!
Song 2: I didn't quite like this one, the intro feels a bit more crowded (but I can imagine it in something like a fight scene), and it gets a bit repetetive. The chords in the end feel very basic and could use some different notes there to spice things up.
Song 3: The pounding drum + bass fit very well. The intro composition is very interesting and recording it yourselves is great! In the second half, I feel like the song became too crowded, with too many elements competing for space.
Also, would be great if you cut the ~ 5 secs of silence in the beginning!
The sound design in the beginning is amazing! The whole song feels extremely well polished - even more surprising that it was done in this short of a time.
I feel like I have been transported to a different world, you have done some magic with the sounds. The transitions flow so well you almost forget they are happening (especially acoustic -> synths).
I honestly don't know, what I would improve. After the song ended, I was craving for more.
Wow, something very fresh! I love the instruments chosen and the sound overall. The only weak spot here is the choir vst.
In some places in the first song (especially the beginning, then it gets better), I feel like the instruments clash together and more space should have been left for just one main melody. However, the combination of instruments and the overall idea is so good I can look past that.
The second song almost feels nostalgic to me, I can imagine hearing it in something like Civ IV. Very triumphant, very nice.
The positive coments are great, I really feel like this event has a really welcoming community. Kudos everyone.
But for me, it was comparing my submission and other submissions - how people take different ideas, how people work in a different way than me. Learning from others and improving myself. To give a more specific highlight - it was every time I got surprised by a song taking an interesting turn.
Oh, and the most rated submissions are really good. Totally different to what I would have done, but they are definitely memorable.
I think you caught both the underwater and the dreamy vibe quite well! You somehow subverted my expectations at multiple times, leading to me eagerly waiting, what will happen next. One song, full of surprises. You had me hooked throughout the whole song, sometimes rewinding and relistening. In the end, I'm almost sad it's over.
Very interesting work with the rhythm at 1:40ish. The synth choices overall are very pleasent, nothing too harsh or out of place.
To give some critique as well: I find most of the white noise risers a too loud and overpowering.
Definitely one of the best submissions I have heard. Interesting both compositionally and with the instrumentation. You definitely know, where to experiment and be bold with the choices, and where to stay in the background to give space.
There are some places, where instruments feel a little imbalanced (such as the ending of Dumb Antics) and the mixing could use a little polish. Otherwise, sound selections are very good.
Having 8 unique songs of this quality is very admirable!
I'm happy for you this got accepted! It's a nice entry for sure!
The transition in the song Transition is really interesting. I love the sudden change in instrumentation and rising tempo. The reuse of "The Princess" theme in "A New Light" is also nice, it ties these songs together, giving the soundtrack a better identity.
Sonically, I find some of the synths too harsh at some points (like beginning of Transition). But some other parts are really nice - I like the first song, "Main Menu" the most.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I love both the new synths, Kepler and Kelper Exo. Sadly haven't had much time with them yet. I would have liked to tweek the presets to be a little less harsh on the attack, but couldn't figure it out. But they are definitely very powerful synths and I'm excited to play with them more!
Even though I find the sound design and production value overall leaving much room for improvement, I have enjoyed listening to this submission. I especially liked the last song, My Inner Beauty. It is interesting with the instrument combinations.
Also, everything being done with one synth is really cool. Sytrus rocks!
I especially like the intro song, Mirage Theme. Something about its sound design and composition just click in the right way. It's really good.
To give a little critique, I find the last song, although epic, to lack a little polishing. I find the guitars too harsh in places, and at some points even overpowering. At some points, I feel like it is going far from the topic, although that is very personal.
